Circuit closer



March-1 8, 1930.

W. J. MULLIGAN CIRCUIT CLOSER Filed March 2, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 llllllllllllllll 1| rlllilllfllllllf'fllllIlll'tflll'lar m T, S

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WI'JUPT March 18, 1930. w. J. MULLIGAN CIRCUIT CLOSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2, 1926 Patented Mar. 18, 1939 UNITED STT$ PATENT FFAGE CIRCUIT CLOSER Application filed March 2, 1926. Serial No. 91,759.

This invention relates to a circuit closer forming a part of a combined fire and burglar alarm for use in the protection of buildings, one of the objects being. to provide a heat conductor suspended within the building so as to move freely, said heat conductor constituting means for directing heat against a fuse in the event of a fire so as to operate an alarm and also constituting means, when shifted out of normal position, for sounding or operating the alarm.

A further object is to provide means whereby it becomes impossible to enter a window or a door of the building without shifting said suspended member out of normal position and thereby operating the alarm.

A further object is to provide a suspended member of the kind mentioned which will conduct heat to the fuse of the alarm mecha nism from different parts of the building.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combi nation and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings,

Figure .1 is a section through a portion of the building showing the present improve-- nents installed therein.

Figure 2 is a section through the upper portion of the pendant circuit closing structure.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section through the supporting arm of the pendant circuit closing structure.

Figure l is a section on line 4 t Figure 3.

. Figure 5 is a horizontal section through the upper portion of one of the cylindrical niembcrs of the pendant structure.

Figure 6 is a view more or less in diagram of a portion of the pendant structure and the circuits controlled thereby.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference A designates a building structure atany suitable point in which is arranged a pipe 1 having one or more outlets 2 from which are extended tubular brackets 3. On each of these brackets is mounted one end of a tubular arm t, the meeting portions of the bracket and arm being preferably substantially circular as shown in Figure 4 and formed with teeth or serrations. A connecting bolt 5 isextended through the meeting portions of the arm and bracket for the purpose of holding the serrated portions in contact and maintaining the arm 4: extended at a desired angle from the brackets 3. A spring 6 may be mounted on the bolt 5 and housed within the arm 4; for the purpose of holding the arm pressed yieldingly upon the bracket. The meeting portions of the arm and bracket are provided with registering openings 7.

The free end of arm 4: is provided with a hook 8 and thishook serves to support a link 9 formed of tube. This link has an open ing 10 in the upper portion thereof communicating with the interior of the arm a.

The lower portion of the link is pivotally mounted within an eye 11 extending upwardly from a dome-shaped cap 12. The link opens into this eye and the eye, in turn, opens through apassage 13 into the cap 121 Suspended from cap 12 is a cylindrical contact member 14 having diametrically opposed openings 15 into which are sprung fingers 16 provided at the ends of a spring cross strip 17. This cross strip has a bail 18 connected thereto and is also formed of a central opening 19.

The lower end of the tubular member 14 is closed by a cap 20 provided with vent openings 21 and extending downwardly from the center of this shaft is a pin 22 connected to a plug 23 which is secured within the upper end of a tubular conducting member 24. lhis conducting member is adapted to be suspended within the building structure A and, in Figure 1 it has been shown extending downwardly through three floors, there being openings 25 in these floors -whereby the member 24 is free to swing to a limited-extent.- For the purpose of covering the openings caps 26 can be secured to the member 24 as shown in Figure 1.

This member 24 is provided close to the ceiling of each room through which it extends with funnel-like intake arms 27 opening downwardly. Thus any hot gases rising in any one of the rooms will be free to flow into thesearms' andathence upwardly through the tubular member 24. At the upper end of this tubular member are outlet arms in the form of arcuate tubesi28 through which the rising hot gases will escape. These arms have their outlets close to fuses 29 which are interposed betweenthe lower endportion of the tubular member 14 and springarms 30 which aresecuredat their upper ends to the members 14. .Contactlugs 31 are connected .to the inner facesof the spring arms 30 and project into openings 32 formed in the tubular member 14. Springs 33are connected tothe arms30 and serve to facilitate movement of these arms toward each other when one or bothof'the fuses 29 are melted.

Arranged within the .tubular member 14 are smaller tubular contactmembers34each of which is similar in construction .to the member 14 and has a cross strip 35 provided witha bail 36, thesecorresponding with the strip .17 and the bail 18. The contactmembers v34 are arranged one within the other but areout of contact. A conducting wire 37 or the like is connected to the bail 18 of the outercontact member 14 and to the bail 35 0f the contact member 34 which is second from the inside. Another conducting wire 38 or the like'is connected to the two remaining bails. The contact wires 37 and 38 are extended into the eye 11 and thence through the link 9 to the hook-8. These wires are insulated from each other and are'extended longitudinally within the arm 4 and thence through the opening 7 through brackets 3 and through'the tube or pipe .1 into the housing 39. This housing can be located atany point desired. Abattery 40 can be arranged within the housing and one-terminal ofthis battery is connected to one terminal of a switch-41 while the terminal-of the switch isconnected to the wire 37. Wire 38 is connectedto one terminal of an electromagnet 42an'd the other terminal of this electromagnet is connected to the battery 40. Thusit "will .be seenthat, avhenthe switch-4'1- isclosed, the contact of any two members 34.;and :14

duerto oscillation (if-"the members will result in closingathe circuit to themagnet-i42.

An armature :43 is arran ed-zed: acent. ma- 0 D switch 48. The other terminal of the switch is electrically connected, as at 49, to a signal device which can be in the form of a light and a bell 51. The light and the bell can be located wherever desired. A lead 52 of the electric circuit last referred to is extended to the light 50.and to the bell .51, it being understood that a transformer 53-can be employed if desired in connection with the bell.

Assuming that the parts are positioned as illustrated in Figure :6 .it will be apparent that, in the event of a fire in any one of the rooms'in which the tubular member 24 is located the hot gases will flow upwardly through the tubular member and be directed .by one or both ofthe tubular arms .28 .against the fuses 29. .One or both .of these fuses will be melted andas a.resnlt,.the-arms.30 will .shifttoward each other: and cause oneorboth ot the lugs '31 to bear against the next ad- 0111111; tubular member 34. Thusa circmt will-be completed through the wires .37 and .38 and the magnet 42 with the result that the armature 43 will be attractedby the magnet. Consequently finger 44 will .be released and the springs 45 will snap .into engagement withthe contact 47. This will close -..the circuit to the light 50.and the bell .51, both .of which receive their power from theoutside electric circuit indicated generally at 54.

Wires or cords 55 can be stretched across the windows and doors of the structure A andattached to thetubularmember 24. Consequently should a person attempt .to enter the structurethroughany one of the windows or doorsoneor moreof these cords or wires "will be shifted and will pull on the member 24 so as to moveit .out of normal position. T his will result in agitation of .the tubular members 14 and 34 which will come into contact and close a circuit thereby operating thealarm in the same manner as has already been described. Byproviding several ofthe tubular members 34 within the member 14. a circuit will beestablished when the members are agitated even though a foreign substance should become lodged between a couple of the members. In other words should one or two of the .members beheld against movement by. some foreignv substance or-by .any'other cause the remaining movable member or members will sh1ft:r,elat1ve thereto and establish a circuit when they.

come intoLcont-act therewith.

When it is desired to render the alarmin= operative the switches "41 and -48 can be .th'rownso as tobreak the circuits.

It is to be understood that .any desired number of .arms 14 and their supporting brackets v3 be usedv and aitubularmem'ben 24 with parts associated therewith can be suspended from each. of these-arms. In large structures it isdesirable-to have .a number of :these suspended tubular 'members [.24 180 that one of them *wtllezttenddownwardly 1 iii through each vertical series of rooms in the structure.

W hat is claimed is:

1. In apparatus of the class described a circuit closer including a supporting cap, a tubular contact member suspended therefrom, a tubular contact member concentrically disposed within the first named member and mounted for oscillation relative thereto, one contact member being electrically connected to one terminal of a circuit and the remaining contact member being electrially connected to the other terminal of the circuit, spring arms carried by the outer contact member, means thereon adapted when released from normal position, to contact with the inner contact member, thereby to close a circuit between the members, a spring connection between the arms extending diametrically through but out of contact with all of the contact members, fusible means interposed between each arm and the outer contact member for holding the arm against actuation by the connecting spring, and means for oscillating the tubular contact members to close a circuit therethrough.

2. A circuit closer including an outer tubular member, spring arms connected thereto, a tubular supporting link, a cap connecting said link to one end of the tubular member, a closure for the other end of the tubular member, concentric normally spaced tubular contact members mounted for independent oscillation, alternate members being connected to one terminal of a circuit and the remaining members being connected to the other terminal of said circuit means for agitating the tubular members to close a circuit therethrough, fusible means for holding the spring arms normally spaced from the outer tubular member, a spring connection between the arms extending diametrically through all o1 the tubular members but out of contact therewith, and means carried by the spring arms for actuation by the spring connection when the fusible means are removed, for electrically connecting two of the tubular members to close the circuit therebetween.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature.

YVILLIAM J. MULLIGAN. 

